Penalty brake scheme for straight air pipe brake control equipment

Abstract

A brake control apparatus that applies and releases the brakes of a rail vehicle incorporates a penalty brake scheme. The brake apparatus includes a first mechanism for providing a service brake control pressure in accordance with a command for service braking and a second mechanism for providing an emergency brake control pressure in accordance with a command for emergency braking. The brake apparatus also includes a standard check valve for conveying to a standard load valve the higher of the service and emergency control pressures received from the first and second mechanisms. The standard load valve operates the brake apparatus in response to whichever of the control pressures is received from the standard check valve. The penalty brake scheme comprises a penalty check valve and a third mechanism for providing a penalty brake control pressure in response to a command for penalty braking. The penalty check valve connects between the first and third mechanisms and the standard check valve. The penalty check valve conveys the higher of the service and penalty control pressures received from the first and third mechanisms, respectively, to the standard check valve. The standard check valve then conveys to the standard load valve the higher of the emergency control pressure and the service or penalty control pressures received from the second mechanism and the penalty check valve, respectively. The standard load valve operates the brake control apparatus in response to whichever of the control pressures is received from the standard check valve.

I claim: 
     
       1. A penalty brake scheme for a rail vehicle having a brake control apparatus to apply and release the brakes of said rail vehicle, said brake control apparatus including a first means for providing a service brake control pressure in accordance with a command for a service brake application, a second means for providing an emergency brake control pressure in accordance with a command for an emergency brake application, a standard check valve means for conveying the higher of said service and said emergency brake control pressures received from said first means and said second means, and a standard load valve means for effecting operation of said brake control apparatus in response to whichever of said brake control pressures is received from said standard check valve means, said penalty brake scheme comprising: (a) a third means for providing a penalty brake control pressure in response to a command for a penalty brake application; and   (b) a penalty check valve means connected between said first means, said third means and said standard check valve means for conveying the higher of said service brake control pressure and said penalty brake control pressure received from said first means and said third means, respectively, to said standard check valve means such that said standard check valve means conveys the higher of said emergency brake control pressure and said service or said penalty brake control pressures received from said second means and said penalty check valve means, respectively, to said standard load valve means so that said standard load valve means effects operation of said brake control apparatus in response to whichever of said brake control pressures is received from said standard check valve means.   
     
     
       2. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 1 wherein said third means includes a lockout magnet valve means that is normally energized absent receipt of said command for said penalty brake application thereby preventing communication between a source of said penalty brake control pressure and said penalty check valve means and deenergized upon receipt of said command for said penalty brake application thereby allowing communication between said source of said penalty brake control pressure and said penalty check valve means. 
     
     
       3. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 2 wherein said source of said penalty brake control pressure is a supply reservoir. 
     
     
       4. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 2 wherein said lockout magnet valve means is an FA-4 type magnet valve device that is energized or deenergized via an electrical trainline. 
     
     
       5. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 2 wherein said third means includes a cutout valve means connected between said lockout magnet valve means and said penalty check valve means for allowing flow of pressurized air therebetween to be cutoff so as to disable function of said penalty brake scheme. 
     
     
       6. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 5 wherein said cutout valve means is a sealed cutout cock device. 
     
     
       7. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 1 wherein said penalty check valve means is a double check valve device that connects at a first inlet thereof to said first means, at a second inlet thereof to said third means and at an outlet thereof to said standard check valve means. 
     
     
       8. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 1 wherein said standard load valve means is a variable load valve device that upon receiving any one of said brake control pressures provides a brake cylinder control pressure that is proportional to pressure that said variable load valve device receives from air springs of said rail vehicle so that the weight of the load borne by said rail vehicle is taken into account during brake application. 
     
     
       9. A penalty brake scheme for a rail vehicle having a brake control apparatus to apply and release the brakes of said rail vehicle, said brake control apparatus including a first means for providing a service brake control pressure in accordance with a command for a service brake application, a second means for providing an emergency brake control pressure in accordance with a command for an emergency brake application, a standard check valve means for conveying the higher of said service and said emergency brake control pressures received from said first means and said second means, and a standard load valve means for effecting operation of said brake control apparatus in response to whichever of said brake control pressures is received from said standard check valve means, said penalty brake scheme comprising: (a) a third means for providing a penalty brake control pressure in response to a command for a penalty brake application; and   (b) a penalty check valve means for conveying the higher of said penalty brake control pressure and said service or said emergency brake control pressures received from said third means and said standard check valve means, respectively, to said standard load valve means such that said standard load valve means effects operation of said brake control apparatus in response to whichever of said brake control pressures is received from said penalty check valve means.   
     
     
       10. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 9 wherein said third means includes a lockout magnet valve means that is normally energized absent receipt of said command for said penalty brake application thereby preventing communication between a source of said penalty brake control pressure and said penalty check valve means and deenergized upon receipt of said command for said penalty brake application thereby allowing communication between said source of said penalty brake control pressure and said penalty check valve means. 
     
     
       11. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 10 wherein said source of said penalty brake control pressure is a supply reservoir. 
     
     
       12. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 10 wherein said lockout magnet valve means is an FA-4 type magnet valve device that is energized or deenergized via an electrical trainline. 
     
     
       13. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 10 wherein said third means includes a cutout valve means connected between said lockout magnet valve means and said penalty check valve means for allowing flow of pressurized air therebetween to be cutoff so as to disable function of said penalty brake scheme. 
     
     
       14. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 13 wherein said cutout valve means is a sealed cutout cock device. 
     
     
       15. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 9 wherein said penalty check valve means is a double check valve device that connects at a first inlet thereof to said third means, at a second inlet thereof to said standard check valve means and at an outlet thereof to said standard load valve means. 
     
     
       16. The penalty brake scheme as recited in claim 9 wherein said standard load valve means is a variable load valve device that upon receiving any one of said brake control pressures provides a brake cylinder control pressure that is proportional to pressure that said variable load valve device receives from air springs of said rail vehicle so that the weight of the load borne by said rail vehicle is taken into account during brake application.